CINCINNATI – Sen John Kerry, telling fellow combat veterans he is their “true brother in arms,” said Wednesday that President Bush’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Europe and Asia would weaken U.S. security and embolden nuclear-armed North Korea.
“This is clearly the wrong signal to send at the wrong time,” the Democratic presidential candidate said at the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ 105th annual convention, borrowing a line Bush has used against him.
Some Bush supporters and a few fellow veterans have been raising questions about Kerry’s military record, which has been a cornerstone of his presidential campaign. Senior Democrats inside and outside the campaign say they’re worried about indications, some based on polling, that the criticism might be undercutting gains Kerry made against Bush at the Democratic National Convention, with its spotlight on his combat record and military honors from the Vietnam War.
Some Democrats are urging Kerry to fight back against the criticism, which gained steam this month with a TV ad featuring fellow veterans questioning his record. Kerry campaign officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he may have to do so.
Addressing the same VFW crowd two days earlier, the president announced a seven- to 10-year plan to withdraw up to 70,000 U.S. troops from Cold War bases in Europe and Asia. He accused Kerry of sending “the wrong signal” by promising to try to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within six months of taking office.
Along with the economy, national security has emerged as a major theme in a campaign shadowed by war and terrorism.
The challenger hopes to convince voters he is tough enough to lead the nation against terror. The incumbent, his approval ratings hurt by the war in Iraq, is casting himself as a tested commander in chief who can guide the nation back to peace and prosperity.
Both men call the other lacking on defense, with Kerry now taking aim at Bush’s troop-shifting plans.
“Let’s be clear: The president’s vaguely stated plan does not strengthen our hand in the war against terror, and in no way relieves the strain on our overextended military personnel,” Kerry told the crowd after repeatedly reminding the veterans of his own combat experience in the Vietnam War.
“Why are we unilaterally withdrawing 12,000 troops from the Korean Peninsula at the very time we are negotiating with North Korea – a country that really has nuclear weapons?” the Massachusetts senator said. That last phrase was a reference to Iraq, which apparently did not have nuclear weapons when Bush ordered the invasion, with support from Kerry and others in Congress.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Kerry’s criticism of the president’s troop-shifting plan “shows a lack of understanding of the new threats we face.” He noted that Kerry expressed support on Aug. 1 for possible redeployment of U.S. troops throughout the world.
Associated Press
Sen. John Kerry speaks Wednesday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ annual convention in Cincinnati.
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